Tag: cooking

Sour Cherries An Afghan Family Story by Dezh Azaad, Illustrated by Nan Cao

Sour Cherries An Afghan Family StorySour Cherries: An Afghan Family Story
by Dezh Azaad, Illustrated by Nan Cao
Abrams

Author Dezh Azaadand illustrator Nan Cao’s picture book Sour Cherries is a moving, personal story about an Afghan refugee child and the fruit that connects him to family and home.

My favorite day is in the summer,
picking cherries with my mother.

Sour Cherries follows a summer day as an Afghan child learns to make sour cherry jam, stew, and tea with his mother, just like she learned from her mother. Pull the stem, pop the seed—together, they carefully prep their family dishes while sharing stories of his grandmother and the place they come from.

Inspired by the author’s life, this warmhearted companion to The Carpet: An Afghan Family Story celebrates the taste of home.

Cover image and summary via Abrams

Posted in Books, Reviews

Review: Nadiya Bakes by Nadiya Hussain

Posted on by Fatoma Rad

Review: Nadiya Bakes: Over 100 Must-Try Recipes for Breads, Cakes, Biscuits, Pies, and More

Hussain, Nadiya. Nadiya Bakes: Over 100 Must-Try Recipes for Breads, Cakes, Biscuits, Pies, and More. 2021. 256p. Penguin Random House/Crown, Clarkson Potter, $29.99. (ISBN 9780593233733). General Audience, cookbook.
Released 7/27/2021  

Nadiya Bakes by Nadiya HussainNadiya Hussain, the 2015 winner of BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, has been captivating fans everywhere with her charisma and creative recipes especially in her shows, The Family Challenge, Nadiya Bakes, and Nadiya’s Time to Eat. This book, Nadiya Bakes, published by Penguin Random House/Clarkson Potter,  follows the formula of its predecessors Nadiya’s Kitchen (PRH, 2016) and Time to Eat (PRH/Clarkson Potter, 2020) with over 100 savory and sweet recipes to enjoy.

Filled with beautifully vibrant photographs of the baked goods as well as images of Nadiya preparing dishes, readers are given a sense of personalization, charm, and ease as though Nadiya has invited them into her kitchen and handwritten a recipe and directions just for them. There are 8 different sections in this book: cakes, mini-cakes and one-pan bakes, no-bakes, celebration bakes, cookies, tarts and pies, desserts, breads and buns and finally, savory bakes. Recipes reflect Hussain’s style and are playful with colors, textures, and flavors. Each recipe starts with a quick blurb about what that recipe means to her, how she came up with the recipe, or a fun tidbit about the recipe. Recipes are not text heavy, but clearly convey enough details about the process, flowing smoothly and easy to follow. 

Aesthetically pleasing and delightful from cover to cover, make room in your kitchen, bookshelf, or coffee table for this one. The multitude of recipes ensure that readers can keep coming back to their favorites, try something new, or modify recipes and make them their own. This reader plans to dust off my own kitchen aid mixer and bake. But what will it be first? I’m  debating between the rose harissa rugelach or the strawberry and clotted cream shortcake cupcakes. Either way it will be a win.